Why Chris Hughton snubbed Jeffery Schlupp in selection for Angola games

Henry Asante Twum, the spokesperson of the Ghana Football Association has disclosed that the decision to leave out Crystal Palace midfielder, Jeffery Schlupp from Ghana’s squad to play Angola was taken by Chris Hughton and his technical team.

Asante Twum told Peace FM in an interview that Chris Hughton explained to the FA that the 25-man squad he invited are those he trusts to deliver victory for him in the doubleheader against Angola.

He caveated that the exclusion of Schlupp from the current squad does not mean the door to the national team has been shut on him.

According to him, Schlupp like many Ghanaian footballers is still in the plans of Chris Hughton will be taking charge of his first game as Black Stars coach.

“The usual meeting between the FA and technical committee over selection happened before the list was released. The reason given was that they have a large pool of players that they are monitoring and the fact that they didn’t call someone does not mean his stint with the nation is over. It depends on the position available and what they seek to achieve at a given time.

“You’ll realize that there are some players who were not part of the World Cup squad. A door is not shut at any individual but the coaches believe these are the best for the two games against Angola. Jeffery Schlupp is not a bad player but the coaches feel at this moment, this is the team we need,” he said when quizzed about why Schlupp was not called.

In his first game as Ghana's coach, Chris Hughton has trusted 25 players to deliver victory in the two AFCON qualifiers against Angola.

The selection has usual suspects Thomas Partey, Andre Ayew, Jordan Ayew, Daniel Amartey, and Tariq Lamptey among others.

The Black Stars will take on Angola at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on March 23 before facing them in Angola four days later.

Watch the latest edition of Sports Check and GhanaWeb Sports' take on Black Stars squad below





KPE